Horse coach Saffie Joseph Jr. has been suspended from Churchill Downs indefinitely after two of his horses died abruptly on the racetrack inside the previous couple of days – with the suspension comes the scratch of Joseph’s Lord Miles from the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
Joseph was the coach of Parents Pride and Chasing Artie. Both horses collapsed and died on the monitor Saturday and Tuesday, respectively, after races.
Saffie Joseph Jr., the coach of Lord Miles, is proven throughout morning coaching for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4, 2023, in Louisville, Kentucky. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
“Given the unexplained sudden deaths, now we have cheap issues concerning the situation of his horses, and determined to droop him indefinitely till particulars are analyzed and understood,” Bill Mudd, president and chief working officer of Churchill Downs Incorporated, stated in an announcement. “The security of our equine and human athletes and integrity of our sport is our highest precedence. We really feel these measures are our responsibility and accountability.”
Trainer Saffie Joseph is proven at Churchill Downs on May 4, 2023, in Louisville, Kentucky. (Matt Stone-USA TODAY Sports)
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Two different horses have died on the monitor in current days. Take Charge Briana and Wild on Ice have been each euthanized after accidents, the latter of which was set to run within the first leg of the Triple Crown, however no reason for dying have been revealed for Saffie’s horses.
No horses skilled underneath Joseph had died previous to Saturday.
Joseph stated earlier Thursday that investigators examined his barn, checked the horses’ veterinary data and took blood samples from every of his horses, which confirmed nothing irregular. The feed, hay, straw and dietary supplements utilized by the horses have been checked, too.
A basic view of roses within the winner’s circle with the Twin Spires within the background throughout the Kentucky Derby on May 1, 2021, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire through Getty Images)
Post time for the Derby is 6:57 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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